Garden Dilemmas, Delights & Discoveries, Ask Mary Stone, New Jersey Garden blog
a brown chipmunk with cheeks stuffed with nuts

Beyond Nutty Mast Year

Hello fellow readers, These are nutty times—far nuttier than usual. Have you noticed the plentiful tree nuts as compared to last year? In my neck of the woods, the shagbark hickory nuts are overabundant and golf ball size. So much, so that walking amongst them is risky for ankle stabi
Read More
baseball sized black walnit on the sude of the road

A Nutty Winter in Store?

Hello fellow readers, Nuts are abundant this fall which, in weather folklore, means a harsh winter is ahead. When walking around our Shagbark Hickory trees (Carya ovata) it feels as though I’m skating on marbles. The first time I was introduced to shagbark nuts was when a golf ball si
Read More
Looking up at the shaggy bark of a shagbark hickory trunk.

Juglone Companion Plants

Hello fellow readers, One of the native trees that grace my yard is a shagbark hickory (Carya ovata). Its common name speaks for itself, with shaggy bark that stands out like a sculpture. But a treasure to some can be a nuisance to others. It’s true; the first time a golf ball-sized n
Read More